If you tend to dwell on the past, it may be because you wish you could have controlled it more. It’s natural to want to control outcomes in your life. You, like many of us, would prefer to feel certain about what you are doing and what comes next. However, a better approach can be to foster acceptance of the unknown and uncontrollable. It takes courage to surrender a need for control and to accept and forgive yourself.
This blog will discuss the benefits of acceptance, how to learn to accept yourself more, and how The Guest House can help you foster acceptance of your past choices.
What Does It Mean to Foster Acceptance?
Maybe you are getting tired of beating yourself up for your past choices. Perhaps you would like to hold just a tiny bit more compassion toward yourself. This is the perfect time to explore how you can cultivate more self-acceptance in recovery. The word “acceptance” itself begins to lessen the grip of shame and regret. Knowing you can foster acceptance toward yourself can feel encouraging. However, achieving this state of mind takes work and patience.
Acceptance means you greet yourself with unconditional positive regard for all things you have done, are doing, and will do. You understand yourself just as you are and love who it is you are in this very moment. This includes but is not limited to your mind, body, emotions, and spirit.
To foster acceptance in your life means to give yourself the self-confidence that you deserve. It means holding on to that. You begin to acknowledge your strengths, as this is what gives you self-confidence. Also, you review your goals, which gives value and meaning to the journey that you are on.
Acceptance Can Cause Temporary Discomfort
When working toward acceptance, especially of yourself, you may feel temporary discomfort. Uncomfortable feelings can come up when you explore the areas in which you lack skills or the bad choices you made. Many people don’t know how to foster acceptance of themselves because they want to hide and reject the parts that are less than desirable. Self-acceptance is about seeing yourself as you are and accepting all of those realities.
Do I Deserve Acceptance When I Made Bad Choices?
No human on earth has escaped the fate of making a bad choice. To foster acceptance has nothing to do with who you are or what you did. Instead, it’s about loving yourself enough to acknowledge that you are human. The human version of yourself is imperfect, therefore it is important to love this version of yourself perfectly. Only you know how to do that because you know yourself better than anyone else does.
To foster acceptance does not give you a free ride to dismiss your choices or situations. What acceptance does do is tailor your self-confidence to your uniqueness. Acceptance means understanding that being human means you are flawed and constantly changing. It means you have both strengths and weaknesses.
How Can I Foster Acceptance in My Life?
Acceptance does not happen overnight. However, daily practice can help foster acceptance over time. These tips will help you learn to practice daily:
- Practice gratitude. Take several minutes out of your day to write down what you are grateful for. By practicing gratitude, you are retraining your brain to think in a positive manner.
- Get rid of your stinking thinking. Negative thoughts are the voice of your inner critic. You can be so hard on yourself and believe those negative things. Fostering acceptance is the act of accepting yourself just as you are and not listening to your inner critic.
- Meditate. A meditation routine can decrease negative self-talk and foster acceptance in your life. This routine can be as simple as you would like. All you need is several minutes to yourself and time to focus. The goal is to foster acceptance by reducing negative self-talk and observing thoughts instead of attaching to them.
- Forgive yourself. Self-forgiveness is about releasing yourself from the pain, pressure, and turmoil that hides within and allowing room to foster acceptance.
How Does The Guest House Help You Foster Acceptance of Yourself and Your Life?
Perhaps no one better understands how hard it is to foster acceptance than people who are in recovery. During your own recovery, you have likely faced many challenges. Now it is time to learn how to foster the acceptance that you deserve. At The Guest House, we value your recovery and who you are as a person. We understand the challenges that come with recovery and want to support you to foster acceptance in your life.
Perhaps you feel that others have let you down or you struggle to trust others with your vulnerable parts. We understand because we have been there. Our goal is to meet you right where you are in your recovery. We aim not to change you but to accept you and greet you with unconditional positive regard. Our mission is to be the key that unlocks connection and support within your journey.
To understand acceptance is to understand how humans are wired. It seems that it is easy to accept others but not as easy to accept yourself. Understanding that you are just as important as another can shed light on why it is hard to foster acceptance. You are a valuable person who has a lot to offer others. Learning how to accept yourself in recovery can be difficult and challenging. However, it is important for you to take time to grow and be your best self. At The Guest House, we understand the struggle with self acceptance and how that can be difficult to process. If you or someone you know is struggling, give us a call at (855) 483-7800.